Chelsea: Pedro confirms he joined Blues due to stalled contract talks with Manchester United

Pedro scored his first goal for Chelsea in his Premier League debut against West BromGetty

Pedro Rodriguez has insisted he made the right decision to join Chelsea during the summer transfer window, after negotiations to move to Manchester United reached an impasse. The former Barcelona attacker also defended manager Jose Mourinho, saying contrary to popular opinion in Spain the Portuguese gaffer has close ties with his players.

Pedro had been heavily linked with a move to Manchester all summer, after Louis van Gaal admitted the Red Devils were after a player with his skill set. However, after United stalled in their negotiations with the Catalan outfit, Pedro made the move to London after Chelsea triggered the £22m (€34.4m) release clause.

Pedro's agent, Antonio Sanz, later explained that Chelsea's speed was key to the decision to move to the Blues. Van Gaal, however, suggested United were the ones who pulled out of the deal, opting instead to sign Anthony Martial from Monaco.

The player himself has now clarified the situation in an interview with Marca, saying: "I saw that things weren't progressing with Man United.

"It was taking time and I needed to get started with a team. Chelsea were the most determined. I think I made a good decision with Chelsea. The welcome I've had from everyone has been great from the start. That has made it easy for me to adapt quickly".

Pedro also praised Mourinho's character, playing down reported problems the Chelsea manager has with some of his players, especially during his time at Real Madrid. "Although it might sound strange to some people, Mourinho is very different in person. He treats you like one of his family."

The former Barcelona star also confirmed he left the Camp Nou to secure more playing time after falling out of favour due to the presence of Lionel Messi, Neymar and Luis Suarez in Luis Enrique's attack. He believes his skills will fit perfectly in the Premier League, despite being used to a more passing game in La Liga.

"Barcelona have a superb attacking trident. It's always hard to get to play at Barça. More than competing with them it was the inability to play regularly. If I had managed that, things may have been different," he said. "I was used to the way Barça build up the play, playing touch football, and everything is faster in England; faster transitions. All the teams are very physical. I think it's a very good league for me because there are spaces, a lot of counter-attacking, constant opportunities".